Jacques Kallis honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa

Former Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis was among the many national heroes honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday.

South Africa's Jacques Kallis acknowledges the crowd in his lap of honour around the field during Day 5 of the second and final Cricket Test Match between India and South Africa at the SAHARA Stadium , Kingsmead in Durban on December 30 , 2013. South Africa beat India by 10 wickets. AFP PHOTO / ANESH DEBIKY (Photo by ANESH DEBIKY / AFP)

Legendary Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been honoured by the highest office in the land for his service to South Africa’s men’s senior cricket team.

President Cyril Ramaphosa bestowed the Order of Ikhamanga on South African citizens who have excelled in the fields of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport.

Among them was the Proteas leading run scorer in both Test and One Day Internationals (ODIs), the only South African to cross the 10 000 run mark across both formats.

“His stellar career and commitment to the sport inspired many young people to aim for excellence,” the Presidency Tweeted.

The Office of the President of South Africa

As he is currently involved in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he coaches the Kolkata Knight Riders, Kallis was not present to receive his award on the day.

Instead, it was collected by his wife Charlene and former Proteas spin bowler Dave Rundle.

Jacques Kallis: A journey to the Order of Ikhamanga

Jacques Kallis made his international debut in South Africa’s third Test in a series against England in December 1995 in Kingsmead, Durban – where he scored just one run in a washed out match.

The all-rounder made his first century six matches later against Australia in Sydney, where his effort rescued the Proteas from a sticky situation to salvage a draw.

Kallis made 166 Test appearance for South Africa, scoring a record 13 289 runs at an average of 55.37, which sees him place third in the run-scorers list behind Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting.

His remarkable feats with the willow were accompanied by stellar work with the leather, as he took 292 Test wickets, making him the sixth-highest wicket-taker for his country.

In the 50-over format, Kallis played 328 matches, notching up 11 579 runs to go with his 273 wickets.